Hemming and folding attachment for sewing-machines.



A. McARTHUR. HEMMING AND FOLDING ATTACHMENT- FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 26. I914.

Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

' INVENTOR WITNESSES: fa J $555M A TTORNEY COLUMBIA PLANoaRA'PH co.,WASHINGTON. D. C.

UNITED sTA EsrATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER MCARTHUR, OF SINGER, CLYDEBANK, SCOTLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THESINGER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION 01E NEW JERSEY.

I-IEMMING AND FOLDING ATTACHMENT FOB SEWING-MACHINES. I

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

Application filed February 26, 1914. Serial No. 821,115.

and useful Improvements in Hemming and- Folding Attachments forSewing-Machines,

of which the following is a specification, reference being had thereinto the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to hemmmg and folding attachments for sewingmachines,

and has for its object to, provide means adapted to counteract thetendency of the toothed feeding member of the sewing machine to advancethe lower ply of a folded structure faster than the upper ply thereof,

whereby said structure, a hem for example,

is distorted, its plies being drawn out of line.

. The invention comprises a flat tens1onspring fixed to theseparator-blade of a hemming or folding attachment, its forward endbeing disposed intermediate said blade and the base of a folding plateupon Y which rests the body-portion or lower ply of the folded fabric.Means are provided for moving the tension-spring into engagement withthe lower fabric ply and for varying the pressure of the spring, saidmeans including a controlling-member which moves intermediate theseparator-blade and I an inclined portion of the tension-spring,

and acts as a wedge to force the latter downwardly. Thecontrolling-member is adjustable to increase or decrease its efiectiveaction, and said member is moved into engagement with the tension springby means of a cam-lever, said movement being in opposition to a springwhich normally holds the controlling-member in ineffective position.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view, partly in section, of ahemming and folding attachment embodying my improvements; and Fig. 2 isa vertical section longit'udinally of the same. Fig.3 is" a perspec-'tive view from the under face of the attachment.

The improvements are shown applied to a hemming and folding attachmentof known form, comprising a supporting-plate A pivotally secured bymeans of stud-screw 1 to a base-plate 2 adapted to be adjustably securedtothebed-plate of a sewing machine in the usual manner. Undue movementof the supporting plate with its connected parts 1s prevented by meansof a clamping screw 3 secured to the base-plate and provided with a headwhich overlies the edges of a slot formed in the forward face of thesupporting plate.- Formed integrally with the supporting plate A is abridge-piece 4:, its outer end being bent downwardly to engage theangular end 5 of an arm 6 projecting laterally of a separator-blade 7.The bridgeplece A is provided with a longitudinal slot 4?. to receive arectangular lug 8 formed transversely of the upper face of an adjustableedge-turning member 9 provided at its forward end with a guide-Wall 10and at its rearward end with a U-shaped edge-turnmg wall 11. Theedge-turning member also supports a smoothing plate 12, the function ofwhich is well known in the art. Opp0-,

site'to the edge-turning member is the U-" shaped folding wall .13 of afolding-plate 13 formed integrally with supporting plate A and providedwith a base portion 14 upon the upper face of which rests the bodyportion or lower ply of the folded fabric. It will be seen thatadjustment of the edgeturning member 9 toward or from the folding, plate13 will vary the widthof the fold ed-str'ucture, and thattheedge-turning member may be secured in its adjusted position by meansof the clamping screw 15.

Secured to the under face of the separatorblade 7 is a flattension-spring 16. The tension-spring is provided with twospaced arms 16formed with apertures to receive, fastening screws 17 which serve toholdsaid arms fixed between rectangular washers '18 r and the lower faceof separator-blade 7. The rearward edges of the washers 18 meet atransverse line at which the tension-spring diverges from theseparator-blade and as sumes' a plane inclined thereto for a portion ofits length and thence projects intermediate the separator-blade and thebasel l of folding plate 13, but out of contact with the latter.

A' longitudinally movable controllingmember is employed to movetension-spring l6 downwardly into engagement with the lower fabric plywhich rests upon the base portion 14 of the folding plate. Thecontrolling-member comprises two sections, a and 6. Section a of thecontrolling-member separator-blade 7. It will be seen that movement ofthe controlling-member in one direction willcause the T-shaped head ofsection I) to engage'the inclined portion of tensionspring 16 wherebythe latter is pressed downwardly into engagement ,with the fabric, andthat movement of the controllingmember in'the opposite direction willrelease the tension-spring. The aforesaid movements are effected .bymeans of a cam-lever 25, the cam portion 25 of which receives the shankof a stud-screw 26 which passes through'a slot 27' formed in the forwardend of the section a of the'controlling-member, and is secured toseparator-blade 7. The controlling-member is normally held inineffective position bvmeans of a coiled-spring a may be 1noved intoeffective position or-released for movement lnto neutral 'pOSlt-1OIL 28interposed between the angular end 29' of separator-blade 7-and theangular end 30 of the controlling-member. c I

It willbe seen that the controlling-member by manipulation of thevcam-lever 25, where by the tension-spring is moved into and out 7 ofits normal position for the purposes described- It will alsobe seen thatthe adjustment of section b of the controlling-member relatively tosection a thereof'will' increase or decrease the wedge action of themember 7 upon the tension-spring 16. H I

'While the improvements are shown in connection with a specific formofhemming and folding attachment, it will beiunderstoodthat the in'ventionis not limited to such use, and that various modifications may bemadein-construction andv arrangement of the parts without departingfrom: thespirit of the invention.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim hereinis 1. In hemming and folding attachments for sewing machines, thecombination with means for folding a fabric, of a separatorblade overwhich the fabric is folded, a flat tension-spring carried by saidseparatorblade and adapted to act upon, and normally retracted'out ofengagement with, one ply only of the fabric, a longitudinally movablecontrolling-member adapted to hold the tension-spring into, engagementwith the fabric,

and means for manually operating said controlling-member. v

2. In hemming and folding attachments for sewing machines, thecombination with meansfor folding a fabric, of a separatorblade .overwhich the fabric is folded, a'flat tension-spring carried by saidseparatorblade and adapted to engage one ply only of the fabric,andmanually operable means for controlling the stress of said springwherebya desired tension may be applied to. the fabric.

3.- In hemming and folding. attachments for sewing machines, thecombination with means-for folding a fabric, of a separator-v blade-overwhich the fabric is'folded, a. flat tension spring normally retractedfrom the fabric and provided with an inclined face adj acent theseparator-blade, a controlling.- member movable intermediate the bladeand thetension-spning and into contact with the inclined face of thelatter, and operating means-for said controlling-member.

4. .In hemmingland folding attachments for sewing-machines, thecombinationwith means for folding. a fabric, of a separatorblade overwhichathe :fabric is folded, aflat tension-spring adjacent theseparator-blade and normally retracted from. the fabric, acontrolling-Lmember, movable intermediate the blade and tension-springand adapted to press the latter into engagementwiththe fabric, means foradjusting said controllingmember to vary its actionupon thetensionspring, aspring acting upon the controllingmember tohold the samenormally in-ineffective position, and a-cam-lever for moving saidcontrolling member in opposition to its spring. a

Intestimony whereof, I have signed my name to this'specification, in thepresence, of

two subscribing witnesses.

, ALEXANDER MoARTHUR.

Witnesses:

DOUGLAS FAIRWEATHER, HENRY MASON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

i Washington,;D.,C.- j

